


Human

by DaniJayNel



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Android AU, F/F, theme is rebellion, yumikuri week 2017, yumikuri week day 01
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-09-19
Updated: 2017-09-19
Packaged: 2018-12-31 15:21:32
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,081
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12135321
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DaniJayNel/pseuds/DaniJayNel
Summary: Historia runs away from home, desperate to find a way to understand her existence. Is she truly human?Ymir joins the android rebellion, woken from the belief that she is just another droid servant. She is alive and living in every sense of the word.The two meet and decide to travel together, to a sanctuary called Hope where humans and androids of all kinds are welcomed with open arms.





	Human

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by the upcoming game Detroit: Become Human. This is my fic for day one of YumiKuri week! Hope everyone likes it

What was being alive, truly? Did the soul exist? Was there any meaning to it all?

Ymir often asked herself these questions. Enforcer sirens bled into the air and bullets whizzed past her skull, nearly ending everything right then and there. The others scattered around her, ducking into alleyways, diving into open drain holes to escape the enforcement officers right on their heels.

Normally, Ymir would have liked to stay completely out of trouble. Just do what she was told until she closed her eyes and never opened them again. But then she woke up. She realized there was more, so much more, to being alive, to existing. She didn’t care about her existential questions anymore, because she decided that she was alive and that she did matter, and that was enough.

She broke free from her masters and joined the rebels. It was dangerous, but it was the first decision Ymir had ever made for herself since she had been created. It was empowering and invigorating. See, she was more than just a shadow of the humans. She was more than just a thing, a creation.

She was more than just an android.

XxX

Historia was hungry. Never in her short life had she experienced something as physically painful as the hunger deep in her belly. It was cold from the snow, but even that did nothing to take the edge of hunger away. The cold was almost nothing. Historia desperately needed to eat, but she didn’t know how to feed herself. In theory, yes, but she had never had to fend for herself. This was way beyond her skillset, but there was nothing she could do.

Today marked a week since she had run away from home. The small amount of food she had managed to smuggle out was all gone, and her thin clothes did nothing to keep the sharp cold away. She sat in an abandoned warehouse, shivering and staring angrily at the wall across from her. There was nothing on her mind but the hunger and the anger. She was so angry that she had no doubt she could kill. She wanted to. There was one person she wanted to strangle with her bare hands—watch his skin turn blue, his eyes bulge out, mouth parted in horror. She wanted to watch the life drain away from his fat body until he was nothing but a dead mass of flesh.

An enforcer siren screamed in the distance, making Historia startle and burrow deeper into her hiding place. Were they here to get her? Had they found her? She had dug out the tracker in her neck, so they couldn’t have located her that way, unless her father had installed a second tracker somewhere else on her body that she didn’t know of. It wouldn’t surprise her. She was too cold and too weak to even think of getting up and running, even as the sirens drew nearer and nearer until they came to a stop right outside of the warehouse. She heard haggard breathing, thundering hearts and bullets sliding into a barrel of a gun. She covered her ears a second before the guns went off and bullets drove into the walls of the warehouse.

“Cease and desist!” a man yelled loudly. “Stop!”

 _Okay, so they aren’t here for me,_ Historia thought idly. _Just my luck that some criminal decided to come here._

She decided to just sit very still until this whole thing was over, hoping that no one would think to look where she was sitting and find her. She merely listened to the struggle happening right outside of the warehouse.

She could hear breathing, gunshots, and the crunch of feet on the snow. Someone was smacked and then punched. A wet gurgle told her someone was dying, and then a gunshot connected and someone else went down, wheezing. Another sickening crunch and Historia knew that a second person was gone. After that the noises died down to one single heartbeat, slower than normal. Their breaths were harsh, but evening out slowly. Footsteps carried into the warehouse, and then a figure collapsed on the snowy ground, gasping.

“Fucking cops,” they said under their breath. From her hiding place Historia could easily see the person. They were clearly injured, holding a hand over their side. Instead of red blood, though, like Historia had expected, this person’s blood was blue.

_An android?_

She inhaled softly in surprise, but that was enough to alert the android that she was there. Its head snapped up, eyes shifting about to find the source of the noise. “Whoever is there, show yourself,” the android growled. “Or I’ll find you and kill you.”

Fear seated itself in Historia’s chest. Back home her father had owned many androids, and none of them had ever spoken this way. Historia didn’t even know that an android was capable of threatening or even killing a human. Clearly this one had gone berserk, and her heart started beating wildly in fright.

“I can hear your heart,” the android added. “That’s a human heartbeat. Show yourself. Now.”

This android would kill her. Historia knew it. It was injured but still an android, specifically designed to be stronger and better than average humans. Historia sucked in an icy breath and flexed her fingers and toes. She had no choice, she would need to run or risk being ripped apart by this crazed droid. She felt warmth return to her limbs, and slowly crawled onto her feet. It hurt everywhere. Her muscles were almost frozen stiff from her sitting in one position for so long. The wound at her shoulder throbbed painfully, and fresh blood began dripping down her arm

Historia’s exit from Reiss Corp had not gone as smoothly as she had wanted. Without food or heat, her body simply wasn’t able to heal itself. She had almost forgotten the pain of her wound, but at least the hunger and the cold drowned it out. Adrenalin filled her veins then, making the rest of her pain and discomfort melt away. She analysed her surroundings, calculating the shortest route to the nearest exist. She saw a damaged car pressed up against the opposite wall, leading up to an open window. If she could run fast enough, she could be out of the warehouse in seconds. Maybe the android would be too injured to follow that way.

Historia made sure that her bag was tightly fastened to her back, and then she crept around the mountain of crates she had used as shelter. The android was still looking for her, but it paused and listened to her footsteps. Historia had seconds to emerge from her hiding place and run before the android pinpointed her position. She inhaled softly one more time, let the warmth of adrenalin and something else fill her muscles until she felt unfrozen, and then she ran out into the open.

The android’s eyes snapped to hers immediately. There was blood splattered all over the android’s face, both red and blue, and it had a nasty, angry glint to its eyes. Historia did not want to stay and witness that anger up close. She went for the car, focusing on nothing else but her pumping muscles and short breath. She almost made it, but somehow the android had reacted fast enough and yanked her backwards. She cried out softly and then slammed into the ground. The android straddled her, breathing harshly, teeth bared.

“Human,” it growled. “Were you spying on me?”

Historia took an unsteady breath. “What?”

A fist flew down at her face, but she shifted just in time to avoid it, and the concrete cracked where the android’s fist connected. Had that landed on Historia’s face, she would have been dead. Her brain would have been leaking all over the snow by now.

Another fist flew down at her, but Historia was quick enough to catch it, and then the other. She closed her fingers around the android’s fists and held them there. The android tried to push down and pull away, but couldn’t. Historia had it completely matched in strength, which seemed to throw the droid off completely. Historia yelled out and threw the android off of her, satisfied when it crashed into the crates across the warehouse.

Historia staggered onto her feet, her breaths coming out in white clouds. Her lower jacket and pants were soaked with blue and red blood. The android groaned and stumbled out of the pile of broken wooden crates, fresh blue blood leaking down its face. Instead of the anger then, Historia saw fear.

“What are you?” it asked, voice wavering. “Are you a new model?”

Historia lifted her fists, ready for a full on fight. She shook her head. “I’m human.”

The android narrowed its eyes. “How can that be?”

Dread. Anger. Sorrow. Historia swallowed thickly and tightened her fists. “That’s none of your business. I just want to get away, okay? I don’t care about you or whatever you’re doing here.”

“I don’t care about you either,” the droid spat. “But how do I know you won’t report me the second you can? I just got rid of the enforcers that were chasing me.”

Historia sighed. “Because if I go anywhere near a camera, enforcers will swarm me, too. Trust me. I’m running as well.”

The droid relaxed slightly, dropping its fists. “So you’re a fugitive too? What did you do?”

Historia narrowed her eyes. “Why do you care?”

The android rolled its eyes. “Because I know a little something about being hunted like a dog.” It looked away. “Treated like a dog.”

“But you’re a droid.”

Anger flared in its eyes again. “I am no fucking robot!” it roared. “I am a person. I feel. I think. I have a goddamn name. Use it!”

Now Historia was completely at a loss for words. An android… claiming to be a person? This was… this was strange. She dropped her fists and furrowed her brows. “I’m sorry, I… Are you a cyber-spec?”

“No. I’m an android. Right down to the fucking model number burned into my skin. But I’m a person.” It dropped down to its knees then, wincing. There was a puddle of blue at its feet. Historia took a nervous step forward. “Don’t come near me!”

Historia paused. “You’re bleeding.”

“Don’t you think I know that?”

Historia sighed. “I have med-gel in my bag. You might not heal in time to avoid bleeding out. If your life fluid drains out completely, your artificial brain will shut down.”

The android looked up at her, lips pulled back over sharp looking teeth. There was deep, powerful anguish in its eyes. “Then I’ll _die,_ ” it stated stiffly. “I’ll die. I won’t shut down, I won’t break. I won’t switch off. I’ll die. I’m alive. I’m a person. Stop talking about me like I’m a machine.”

Historia felt her confusion mount, but she tried approaching again, and this time the droid let her. She went slowly and carefully until she could kneel at its side and pull the gel out. “I’m sorry,” she said softly. “I just… I’ve never seen one like you before. I didn’t know you were…” She swallowed.

When she looked into those brown eyes again, there was absolutely no doubt that this was a person. Historia saw thoughts and emotion and pain, and her heart skipped a beat. She shakily held the gel out and watched as the droid took it.

“Thank you,” it, no, _she,_ said. She lifted her shirt and applied enough gel over the deep wound on her side. It closed up instantly and she sighed in relief. She also put some on the wound at her head. “I really appreciate it.”

Historia’s legs gave out and she collapsed onto her backside. She was in too much pain to stand now, and she was about done with running, too. If this android decided to kill her after all, then so be it. She was done. Just, so done.

“What’s your name?” Historia asked her softly.

“Ymir.” Historia cocked her head to the side. “What? I think it suits me.”

Historia found herself laughing. “That’s actually… adorable.”

Ymir rolled her eyes and tossed the half full med-gel onto the snow. “Whatever. I have the right to name myself whatever I want. Even if it’s after a Norse god.”

“That’s okay. My name isn’t any less weird.”

“What’s your name then?”

“Historia.”

Ymir snorted out a laugh. “Is that Spanish for History?”

Historia huffed. “See? You’re making fun of my name too.”

Ymir sighed and dropped down onto her back. “Sorry,” she muttered. “And thanks. For the gel, and uh, not killing me.”

“Yeah, you too.”

They remained there in the snow until they were shivering. Historia had never seen an android shiver before, which struck her as odd. She had never thought of a droid as human before, either, but there was no way that Ymir wasn’t. Curiosity filled her and she crawled forward. Ymir either didn’t hear her or ignored her, so Historia took the opportunity and reached out to touch her face. Ymir’s eyes flew open and she flinched away from the touch, hissing.

“What the fuck? Your finger is cold! Why are you touching me?”

Historia covered her mouth to smother a giggle. “I just…” The laughter bubbled up inside of her. Ymir was glaring at her, but it looked too comical. She looked less like a deranged android and more like a dishevelled, tired person. Historia laughed until she ached, and then she cried until that ached, too. Ymir just stared at her.

“I’m sorry,” Historia apologized. “I was just curious about what you would feel like. You feel like me.”

Ymir sat up and brushed clumps of snow from her hair. “Androids are made with synthetic organic material. We basically have human skin and nails and hair. We even have synthetically made human organs. But we have souls, too. We…” She trailed off, eyes falling to her lap. “We aren’t thoughtless. Some of us don’t have the capacity to feel, but newer generations like me, we were given all these things that made us real. We were given pain and pleasure receptors, we were given skin that tears and veins that bleed. Do you understand what I’m saying?”

Historia nodded. “It makes sense. Why are the enforcers after you?”

“Because I rebelled.” Ymir angrily rubbed a hand over her face. “I defected. A lot of 700 generation androids have started waking up and running away from their masters. That bastard Reiss wants us all hunted down and killed like animals. All we want is freedom. We want to be treated human. We aren’t slaves. We were made, but our lives are our own.”

Historia couldn’t resist it. She crawled even closer and cupped Ymir’s face in her hands. Despite the snow and the cold, Ymir’s cheeks were warm. Historia could hear Ymir’s heart beating. It was twice as slow as a human heart, but it was still beating and it was oddly comforting. Historia shouldn’t have been able to hear her heartbeat so easily, or the breath that slid in and out of her lungs, but she, too…

“What are you doing?”

Historia regarded her. “I’m just thinking that you’re so…” She wracked her brain for the proper word. Eventually she found it. “Human.”

Ymir’s brows furrowed. “Thanks, I guess?”

“Let’s run together, Ymir.”

“You might die.”

Historia shrugged. “I don’t care. I can’t survive on my own like this. We can make a deal to help each other. Watch each other’s backs. I have…” She swallowed. “I have some connections that can help us.”

Ymir stared at her with wide, golden eyes. She had freckles along her brown skin. Historia waited so long for her response that she started counting them. Ymir didn’t pull out of her hands. “There’s a place,” Ymir eventually started, her voice just above a whisper. “A sanctuary. They’re calling it Hope. Androids are fleeing there. Apparently there are androids and humans alike, all living in peace. It’s safe from the influence of the enforcers and the politics. I’m headed there.”

Historia smiled. “Take me with you.”

Ymir studied her eyes for a long time. Eventually she lifted her hands and cupped Historia’s cheeks in a similar manner. They were staring at each other so seriously, but their position was weird. Historia broke into a smile. “Okay,” Ymir said. “I’ll trust you.”

Historia’s smile widened. “Are you sure?”

“I should learn to get along with humans before getting to Hope, right?”

Historia looked away and dropped her hands. Ymir didn’t miss the way her shoulders dropped, probably heard the way her heart started pounding, but she didn’t ask. She stood and grabbed Historia’s bag, and then helped her to her feet.

“First we get some food,” Ymir told her. “I can hear your stomach growling, and your blood sugar is incredibly low. We can’t travel like this.”

Historia could barely stand and had to use Ymir to stay on her feet. Her cheeks flushed in embarrassment, but she allowed Ymir to steady her. “There’s a town not too far from here. We can stop there and rest. We should be safe from enforcers for a bit.”

Ymir nodded. “Great. Let’s do that then.”

They set out at a slow pace. Historia couldn’t stop staring at Ymir as they struggled through the snow. She was an android, but she looked so tired. She knew that androids did require a few hours of sleep, three at most, and she wondered when last Ymir had slept. Or when she had taken a food supplement. She vowed that as soon as they entered town, she would make sure Ymir had some nourishment and some rest.

It would be difficult, but Historia was determined to make it. Because Hope sounded great to her too. After all, Historia wasn’t exactly entirely human herself. Where else could she fit in, than a place where droids and humans could coexist?

“Historia?”

She blinked and glanced up at Ymir. Ymir’s cheeks were slightly flushed. “Mm?”

Ymir frowned into the distance, and then she sighed. “Thank you.”

Historia didn’t know what to say in response, so she merely nodded and clutched at Ymir’s shirt. Ymir seemed happy enough with that response, and they fell silent as they walked.

Ymir’s heartbeat was slow, but it was all Historia could hear, and it was alive.

**Author's Note:**

> sub this fic guys, I'll be continuing with it as soon as I finish one of my other ongoing fics! This one is intended to be a big fic. Comments are always welcome!


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